5 Moves the Redskins Can Make to Get Right Back in Contention for 2013

Adam Carriker recently said that the season is "far from over," but that doesn't mean that Redskins fans aren't interested in what 2013 could bring.

It seems that each year, there is no dominant team in the NFC East, so seeing the Redskins make a slight improvement in the offseason and play well enough to win the division crown is certainly not far-fetched.

There are a lot of great free agents and players on the trading block after the 2012 season is said and done, and here are five moves the Redskins could make to hop right back into the playoff picture for next season.

Acquire Wes Welker

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Santana Moss has had a nice rebound in the 2012 season, but it's obvious that he won't be around forever. Granted, Welker is not exactly a fresh new face at this point, but he clearly has some good years left.

Washington needs a quick receiver that can get open in the short and intermediate routes when Robert Griffin III rolls out on bootlegs or scrambles to extend the play.

I was going to say Dwayne Bowe instead of Welker, but with Garcon already being the clear front-runner as the No. 1 receiver in 2013, the Redskins need a slot machine like Welker.

He just makes plays, and although his last three games have been a bit timid, I fully expect Welker to be heavily productive if he were wearing the Gold and Burgundy. He's already over 800 yards on the season, which is over a 400-yard improvement on current Redskins leading receiver Leonard Hankerson.

Acquire Brent Grimes

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If Grimes can get fully healthy before next season, there's no doubt that he would be the top cornerback in the 2013 NFL free agency class.

He is currently out for the season with an injury, but even in a wheelchair, he should be able to out-perform some of the Redskins secondary. With a team ranking No. 30 in pass defense, a change is needed in the worst way possible.

The team can't afford to get a prospect in the secondary to groom, as help is necessary as soon as possible. This is what makes Grimes arguably the most important potential acquisition the Redskins could make.

It's hard to believe, but he actually played for the Hamburg Sea Devils in NFL Europe. Now he will be making big money as a free agent, so it may be tough with the cap penalties.

Release DeAngelo Hall

Hall may be having one of the worst seasons in recent Redskins history, and that's saying something.

After being torched repeatedly, getting in trash-talk wars with opponents and even berating officials, it's clear that Hall needs to go.

His contract is just too much to digest, and he can be cut from the roster for a small cap hit if the Redskins release him in June.

There's been a lot of debate about Hall on some of my previous columns and there's no doubt in my mind that it will continue again, but he's turning out as one of the bigger blockbuster busts the Redskins have made in the Snyder era.

We enjoyed the four-interception game against Chicago and the fumble recovery for a touchdown against Dallas, but those seem like distant memories now.

Find a New Defensive Coordinator

The Redskins have been patient with Haslett and allowed him to get his system in to place. The product we've seen has been regressing each season, though.

Now, allowing almost 400 yards a game, it's clear that it's not working. It's not all on the players, either. There have been some injuries, but that isn't an excuse for the performance we've seen.

It's hard to say who should step in since head coaches that just lost their job are the most likely to fill high-profile coordinator spots.

However, if I do have to throw a name into the ring, I will make a homer pick and say Bob Diaco, the current defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

I know it's not easy to transition from college to the professional level as a coach, but as a coordinator, instead of head coach, it should be a little easier.

The Irish defense has famously improved from one of the worst to now the best scoring defense in the NCAA. It would possibly require a transition back to the 4-3 as well, which I've heard many Redskins fans clamoring for.

Trade Kirk Cousins

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I'm not certain how general managers around the league feel about Cousins yet. He hasn't had a lot of playing time, obviously.

However, if the Redskins could possibly get him for a second- or even third-round pick, they could then either package those picks together to move up into the lower first round, or acquire two mid-level guys for depth.

If they do move into the late first round, they could acquire tools for RGIII to excel. A lineman such as Barrett Jones, a tight end such as Tyler Eifert or a wide receiver such as Terrance Williams (which would really make RGIII happy).

But you would have to think that the first pick will go towards a defensive player. We've seen the team do stranger things, though.